Nissan Quest 2004+: Problems & Solutions

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I offer this for those who have a questfor the squeake noise depend from were it come, my on the back n.s.d said the back bench need it something call seat lever (5+ times), engine or revolutions RPM the install a regulator, a/c install some insulation that was missing, on the kids doors the intall something that just came out (for the noise, and my feeling that door were going to open by itself) the front doors I dont have a solution because they never fix it(unsquare) plus what ever recall manufc. request .

You state that this forum is "to state problems AND offer solutions" " the forum isn't really The Complaint Station". The "problem" is 2004 Quest owners who were lucky enough to get a good Quest. The "solution" is for Nissan to rectify these problems and not obfuscate or pretend stupidity concerning them. Those who received the problem Quests should be serviced properly and not made to feel as if they are the problem. If you like your Quest, say so and then let those with the lemons badmouth a firm that will not stand behind their product.

By the way, I was the one who brought the Customer Service Initiative to this forums huddled masses. Mine still has most of the original problems associated with the CSI and numerous more. Yes I could possibly drive two hours and wait forever to get it serviced, but I choose to butt heads with my worthless dealer and try to get good service. It also might help if you used spellcheck once in a while.

I really don't want to argue with you about this. I think I made it clear what the ground rules were in the forum and I think they are pretty fair. If your goal (and I'm not saying it is) is a jihad against Nissan, you really need to go to a government board, or hire an attorney. A forum filled with "badmouthing" is not what we are striving to do here. I'm sorry you are so unhappy with your Quest and I would be too but I'd be putting my energy into places where something might happen. We have no control or influence over Nissan, and I as Host have to try and keep everyone here happy, and most people don't really want to read the same story re-posted many times, with no solution, no result and no progress. If you tell folks (not you but the anonymous YOU out there) that their new car is a lemon, it really irritates them.

So troops, onward into the fog, and let us know of your success stories in getting your Quest squared away. Any new factory info is welcome, too, or recalls or TSBs, etc. All helpful.

Anyone unhappy with the way the forum is being run, please e-mail me privately anytime!

The 1x1 LCD odometer seems a bit bright at night. When I dim it, the other gauges are bit bit too dark. The dealer said others have complained as well. I wish they would use a lower wattage bulb or make the backlight orange. Any others find this annoying at night? It's like having a night light on your dash.

It's been a while since my last post but my SE has 16k miles on it and its been doing good enough that I would recommend a 2006 Quest to anyone looking. Two of my wife's brothers also bought a Quest after seeing ours, so we've had good luck with 3 vehicles (2 are 2004's, 1 is a 2005). We all liked the contemporary styling and features, which more than balanced out the "slightly" higher quality issues than the other choices (I think both Ody and Sienna have issues on their problem boards too, no vehicle is perfect).

I only get 20-22 mpg on my highway trips, but I drive between 70-80 mph on the highway. Also, I mount different snow tires on my 17" rims each winter and have not had any vibration issues. It's almost time to do it again.

Not sure what trim level Quest that you have but on mine you can adjust the brightness of the screen through the onscreen menu. Plus there is a dimmer button on the left side of the steering wheel that works like a traditional dimmer. With these two controls, I haven't had a problem like you described.

I am concerned with the tires on this vehicle because of the odd size and I think Goodyear Eagles are garbage.Both Goodyear and Michelin (only brands I checked) make 215/65x16 or 235/60x16 tires that have the same or wider tread width, higher load capacity, and similar rolling diameter to the OEM tires.

OEM tires in general seem to be much lower quality than the same tire purchased from a tire shop. Or 1995 Ford cargo van wore out the E load rating (very heavy duty) Michelin LTX tires that were OEM in 45,000 miles. The Michelin LTX replacements still had significant tread when replaced at 75,000 and 95,000 miles respectively.

The HydroEdge tires on my Subaru have worn only 2/32nds in 42,000 miles (from 11/32nds new to 9/32nds - just amazing), so that's probably what we'lll go with.

I'm sorry to hear about some of the problems 04 owners have but their comments are so shrill or emotional that many of us don't want to respond with solutions.

You would want to use 215/70 instead of 215/65. There are more selections in these sizes.

I have to agree with you regarding the OEM tires. For some reason the Goodyear OEM are not good tires.

You have to understand many of the 04 owners have endured so many problems with their vans. I have been pretty lucky with mine. Like I mentioned earlier, no issues in the past year. And the major issue I had was the door rattles and A/C, which seemed to have been taken care of. I do have a couple of minor problems (rattle in the rear glass and rear washer spray) but nothing to complain about and I will get it taken care of at the next service stop. It's hard not to get emotional about $25k purchase and often dealing with a service department that gives you the run around or plays dumb. I had a good department in Cooper Nissan. Very upfront about the problems and went the extra step to keep you happy. Too bad I moved and now have to deal with another dealership.

Based on the tire size calculator on 1010tires.com, it looks like you can use 215/65 without having too much variance in the speed and tire diameter. The issue is to find one tha has the same load rating as the OEM. Thanks garandman

Based on the tire size calculator on 1010tires.com, it looks like you can use 215/65 without having too much variance in the speed and tire diameter. The issue is to find one tha has the same load rating as the OEM. Thanks garandman

has anyone found their 04 quest 4 spd tranny overheating? not easy to find except to smell the fluid for a burnt smell. mine seems to overheat on a hill or slow going on a hot day. i have also lost power 4 times [must use mucho gas pedal for almost no forward gain]. this has happened on flat ground.

Regarding the tires for the Quest; I just ordered four Yokohama Avid TRZ 225/60/17 tires, $128 each, mounted, balanced, and with valves.Our '04 Quest has 40,000 miles and the original tires are shot.Consumer Reports rated the Yokohama Avid TRZ tires very highly.

visited local nissan dealer today. they said that this tranny is used in lighter vehicles & might account for some of the heat. also going up to 215 or 225 degrees [40 degrees over max operating temp] for a while is ok. do i believe that? does anyone know? the torque conv generates the most heat & if temp goes up there is a 5th gear when the conv locks up. you can see if it works by noting about a 500 rpm drop as it goes from overdrive to lock up. still wondering...

What kind of tire is that vger? A touring or performance tire? For the price I would say a high performance tire. I thought the Yokohama Avid line was more of a discount line... as their Avid Touring 15" tire is around $58(tire only)??

Bought A 2004 Quest in September because we needed the extra room for four kids. It was a real good deal with just a little over 20,000 miles. We have although had a few problems so far.

#1. Began to have the 3rd row rattle from day three (didn't hear it on the test drive). After about a month finally took it in to dealer to get it fixed, they fixed it with no problem. At the same time I told them about a squealing noise that comes from the hood when I accelerate. They were not able to find that problem.

#2. It is just now turning cold here and I have noticed that as the temperature has dropped the tire pressure has also. The light has come on in the morning when I take the kids to school saying low pressure. By the evening (without adding air) the light is off. Go figure! I have had one instance when the tire pressure light was on saying the tire was flat, although it was just low. I had a service guy to put air in it and light went off after driving for a couple of minutes. When we took a long trip the next weekend, tire pressure light came on half way through saying low pressure. The next day no problem. :confuse:

#3. The air vents are constantly falling out of the vents. I haven't taken it in for that yet, I just stick them back in. Also the lights sometimes pop out when you click them on. :surprise:

#4. The seat skirts in the 2nd row keep coming off. I've tried to fix this, but they keep coming undone anyway. What to do! What to do!

#5. Within the last three or four days I have noticed a vibration, not really when driving, but when the van is just idling. Has anyone else had this problem?

Before this I drove a 1992 Toyota (I still have) and was well pleased with it. I bought it used and have had very few problems.

#6. I have noticed that the reception in my Toyota was nine times better than what I get with the Nissan. The radio keeps cutting in and out. I can't stand it so I have been listening to cds a lot lately. Not just the AM stations, but the FM stations also. These stations should come in clearly.

#7. Last night my husband came in and ask me to go tomorrow and get the transmission checked. He said that as he was trying to take off from the store into traffic, the van would only move very slowly even though the RPM's were revved up high. He said that that shouldn't happen and asked if I had ever experienced that problem. I had not. This seems like a problem that could cause an accident.

I have had Nissan's in the past and choose this one based on prior experience. The problems I have had so far have been minor, but I hope that will be the extent of what problems this Quest has.

I read somewhere that Nissan had extended their warranty for the 2004 Quest vans because of all the problems associated with them. Is this true? Has anyone heard the same story? If so please let me know. I talked to a Nissan dealer and a sales man there told me that all Nissans are covered with a 50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. He did not say whether this was for the '04, '05, or '06. Has anyone heard of this?

Some of your problems are non-unique and have recourse: Third row rattle is correctable from dealer. When your tire pressure falls below 28 the light will come on. Cold weather will cause tire pressure to drop, driving for a while causes it to go up (air gets warmer), you may have a slow leak if drops after driving. The "Stuck in third problem" is non-uncommon, look through earlier messages for the exact remedy to have Nissan perform.

I do not recall anyone complaining about the skirt on chairs, or the vent pieces falling out, or standing vibration; have the dealer check the car out; may just be a rough idle.

In case you were not told the 04's have a 5yr/60K mile Factory warranty (extension of the original 3yr/36K) due to first year issues, so most of your problems should be covered.

Did you have the selling dealer (if you used a dealer) give you a repair history? Check to see if the recalls / Customer service inititiaves were all done. You can bring your van to any Nissan dealer to confirm this work / schedule it to be done.

We have an '04 with 26K miles, have had multiple issues but all were solved and we love the van

I'll echo wht plashenick said. With the tire pressure, Make sure your cold tire pressure is around 34-35. With the cold nights, you'll lose a few pounds overnight.

Air vents: Mention it to the service manager on your next visit. I'll also check my vents. The vents may be designed to be removed and yours may be missing a clip or something.

Seat skirts: Never heard that one before. Sounds like the previous owner had some good times in those seats. This

Vibration when idle: have them look at that. It could be as simple as changing the air filter (the owner's manual shows how to change it) or could be the idle control valve. I would check the air filter. There is a chance the previous owner never changed it. At 20k miles, it is way overdue.

Radio: Known issue with early models of the Quest. Should be any easy fix.

Transmission: Had this happen to me 3 or 4 times during my first year. Haven't had it happen in over a year. Also own a 2004 S. There is a fix for this problem. Talk to your service manager about this. The problem is some service departments have said they need to duplicate the problem befor e fixing it. The problem with this approach is it goes away as soon as turn the key off and restart it. The good thing is you do have 5 yr/60k bumper to bumper warranty.

The majority of the problems are known and shouldn't be too bad in fixing. Good luck and keep us up to date on what happens.

Consumer Reports refers to the Yokohama Avid TRZ as an all season tire.Tire Rack refers to it, I believe, as a touring tire. You can check their site: tirerack.comThe tire article is in the latest issue of Consumer Reports, and it's on their website as well: consumerreports.orgAs for the price, Tire Rack sells it for $88, plus shipping, plus mounting and balancing, plus valves, so I thought $128 per tire, installed, was in the ballpark.

o.k, didn't take into account shipping, mounting as well as you having 17" tires. I did read a lot of positive reviews on Yokohamas Avid line of tires. Would be interested in a report when you get them installed. Thanks.

I just put General Tire "Exclaim" (not the UHP) on my 04 Quest. I opted for 235/60 16". It is only 1.5% smaller circumference. That calculates to a speedo reading 61 when I am doing 60 mph. I can lve with that compared to paying 50 a piece more to put the OEM junk Goodyears LS's back on.

My issue right now is that the tire pressures won't register. The shop did not replace the valves, but I just get a *. Any suggestions?

We bought a 2004 Quest SE? (middle of the road package) and have mixed emotions. We get tons of compliments on the styling but have experienced man similar "minor" quality problems.

- Rear windows rattle like crazy when opened. One is finally cured...we hope.- Our seat skirts keep coming off too. Kids kick them off walking through the middle two seat.- We have had the arm rest & seat cover material pull loose.- Power door has malfunctioned a couple of times.- A lot of little rattles and noises in general- Way worse mileage than advertised...but most cars do -Oh yeah...really junky OEM Tires that can't be replaced by anything in the same size except the same junky tires. A thread in this forum discusses this one.

On the wish list..split rear seats would be nice as well as back lighted steering column control buttons.

Overall I give the 04 Quest a C grade. I probably would buy an Odessy or Sienna if I had $30K to try again.

There is a technical service bulletin for the transmission problem. The fix is to replace the A/T Control Module. This problem happened to me for the first time today, with 15K on my '04. The TSB says customer reports"engine has low power and/or the tranny doesn't shift in 3rd," AND the incident occurs just after engine is started, AND when the engine is turned off then restarted, the engine and transmission regain normal operation. Anyway, I believe that's the same problem. It felt like I was dragging an anchor. Turned off, then back on, and worked as advertised. see Nissanhelp.com

When we got our '04 Quest we had a horrible rattle coming from the back. The dealer tried several times to correct it but couldn't. It was my wife who finally found the problem; the dealer installed a license plate frame, with the dealership's name on it, in the back. That frame was lose and rattling. I tightened the screws and POOF! the rattle was gone.

I had the lic. plate rattle several times on other cars. They are ussually so quick to advertise, they forget to do it right! As a rule I don;t do free ads so I always remove this, the rattle is just an incentive.

A lot of your problem have been answered in previous postings (mostly recently). Rattles were a common problem but can all be remedied.

I thought I had a horrible rear window rattle also. I experimented and figured out that it rattles if partially open. You must open it all the way to lock it into place. And it takes a few seconds to get it open all the way. So next time it rattles, just press the open button for a few seconds and see if that fixes it.